Leaders Urged to Take Action to Protect Religious Liberty

A coalition of religious and civic organizations dedicated to protecting religious freedom and human rights have sent a joint letter to United Nations special rapporteurs and government officials. The letter alerts officials to the arrest of 45 journalists who write for Bitter Winter, an online magazine covering liberty and human rights issues in China.

“We are a truly multifaith group, representing a high degree of diversity,” the letter states. “While there is very little we agree on theologically or politically, we all agree on the importance of religious freedom for all faiths and none. It strengthens cultures and provides the foundation for stable democracies and their components, including civil society, economic growth, and social harmony. As such, it is also the ultimate counterterrorism weapon, preemptively undermining religious extremism.”

From its beginnings, the Church of Scientology has recognized that freedom of religion is a fundamental human right. In a world where conflicts are often traceable to intolerance of others’ religious beliefs and practices, the Church has, for more than 50 years, made the preservation of religious liberty an overriding concern.

The Church publishes this blog to help create a better understanding of the freedom of religion and belief and provide news on religious freedom and issues affecting this freedom around the world.